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‘Fine quality’ MP-made illegal weapons in demand among Punjab criminals
Data from the Punjab police say that at least 54 pistols were seized from Ludhiana, Amritsar and Bathinda districts since October this year by the district police and sleuths of counter-intelligence which were sourced from the Central Indian state
: The ‘highly efficient and fine quality’ weapons made illegally in Madhya Pradesh are making inroads in Punjab, with the police recovering at least 54 pistols from different districts since October, indicating an upward crime trend in the north Indian state.
Data from the Punjab police say that at least 54 pistols were seized from Ludhiana, Amritsar and Bathinda districts since October this year by the district police and sleuths of counter-intelligence which were sourced from the Central Indian state.
Information gathered from multiple sources said the state police authorities have identified Khargone, Khandwa, Barwani, Burhanpur and Dhar districts of MP as hubs of illegal arms manufacturing. These makers manage improvised shooting ranges to test mainly .32 and .30-bore pistols.
Officials said that after Pakistan, illegal weapons from MP are being pushed in Punjab in a big way and authorities are concerned about the trend.
Senior police officials said that these weapons are made of excellent quality as the makers have gained skill. Requesting anonymity, state police functionaries said members of a particular community of ironsmiths are engaged in the making of illicit weapons.
Moga senior superintend of police (SSP) Vivek Sheel Soni said unlike the traditional katta or country-made pistols, the MP-made weapons can compete with semi-automatic weapons of good quality.
“Previously the desi weapons had a series of problems like pistol getting hot, barrel bursting or weapon getting stuck. But pistols made these days in MP have hardly such issues. The weapons are highly efficient and are of fine quality. The illicit arms manufacturers are mainly based in districts near the Maharashtra border,” said Soni, under whose leadership, Mohali and Ropar had burst gangs and seized over 70 MP-made pistols last year.
Soni said that gangs and petty criminals use these weapons.
“After buying a weapon at a paltry sum, a pandi or courier supplies it to another person to stock and find the end users which is generally part of the organised crimes. The trend suggests that criminals rely upon sophisticated weapons for targeted killings,” he added.
On December 14, Khanna police authorities unearthed a racket of illegal arms and recovered 22 weapons.
SSP Amneet Kondal said 10 persons were arrested and police managed a backward link to trace the arms manufacturer Kuldeep Singh from 20 Kholi village in MP’s Dhar district.
“They use a chisel, hammer and iron pipes to make country-made pistols. Kuldeep’s father is also into arms manufacturing and facing at least 10 cases under the Arms Act. Investigation says the manufacturers sell a pistol for ₹3,000 to trusted middlemen who transport the illegal consignments in public transport,” said Kondal.
The SSP added that her team found that the arms were made in the hutments and their improvised arms testing sites.
“It was a tough terrain and was not an easy task to locate and nab the arms manufacturer,” she added.
Ferozepur SP (investigation) Randhir Kumar said it has been observed that unscrupulous elements were also using social media platforms to sell illicit weapons.
Additional director general of police (ADGP) and head of Bathinda range SPS Parmar said since last year, it has been observed that most illegal weapons seized had roots in MP.
“The scale of the supply of weapons to Punjab and other states says that the manufacturing of illicit weapons is being done in an organised manner. And the upward trend is a matter of concern,” added the ADGP.
“Earlier, parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were notorious for manufacturing illicit weapons. But now MP has emerged as a hub of an organised racket of illegal arms making. It is a cause of concern and the top brass of the state police has flagged the issue with the central authorities,” said Parmar.
